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Powdery mildew can be combine fire risk

Dust from the disease can ignite to cause combine fires; producers advised to frequently clean their equipment

Depending on the crop, powdery mildew may not be much of a yield killer for grain growers — but dust from the fungal disease can build up to cause fires in combines.



Canola in flower in a field near Stockholm, Saskatchewan in late July, 2024. | Greg Berg photo

Editor’s Rant: Over/underwhelmed

Whether existing ag programs fit the bill or not, expect the feds to try to shoehorn problems into them

Successive federal governments have been working to get out of the ad-hoc farm payment business — so whether existing programs fit the bill or not, it’s unsurprising when the feds try to shoehorn problems into one or more of those.